Tank farms include a plurality of storage containers or tanks, referred to herein as storage tanks. Storage tanks can be above the ground storage tanks (ASTs) or underground storage tanks (USTs). The tanks can be on land, ships (e.g., tankers), mobile platforms, oil drilling platforms, etc. Land-based ASTs are a common component of tank farms utilized in various processing workflows, including crude oil, liquefied gas, and various petrochemical refinements.
Regular inspection of the storage tanks helps ensure that the storage tanks are operating in compliance with safety and environmental guidelines. Currently, storage tanks are generally inspected manually on a simple fixed-cycle schedule, such as on a monthly or a yearly basis. Manual inspections require the suspension of tank operations and the removal of existing product from the tank. Using this approach, the business loses potential revenue generating activity every time a storage tank is shut down and found to be in good operating condition. Additionally, manual inspections require that human technicians enter the storage tank, exposing the technicians to potentially toxic gases and/or residuals, and other hazardous conditions. Safety equipment can further impair the technicians' ability to adequately perform visual inspections as well as hinder the use of inspection equipment.
Because manual inspections are performed by human technicians, the inspection results are always at risk for human errors and are limited by the assessment skill of the technician. Further, human technicians performing manual inspections are unable to identify underlying non-visual factors, such as corrosion and aging. Thus, potential problems may be missed during the discrete manual inspection that can surface during operation, which can cause a much larger loss of revenue and production time.